Best free open-world games on PC
Large free worlds on PC, ranked by our review score, with what money buys and what PC they need.
Updated · Ranked by our review scores. Partner links never change the order. How we rate
Scores on this list come from our research reviews: official sources and player reviews, not our own play time. Each score follows a fixed formula. When we play a game, its score can change and the order with it.
At a glance
| # | Game | Our score | Pay to win | Steam reviews | Min. RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Once Human | 8.6 | No | 81% of 94,937 | 8 GB | 100 GB |
| 2 | Where Winds Meet | 8.2 | No | 86% of 64,903 | 16 GB | 130 GB |
| 3 | Arknights: Endfield | 8.1 | Mild | 89% of 1,276 | 16 GB | 50 GB |
| 4 | Neverness To Everness | 8.1 | Mild | 82% of 3,423 | 16 GB | 110 GB |
| 5 | Wuthering Waves | 8.1 | Mild | 87% of 30,827 | 16 GB | 150 GB |
| 6 | Aniimo | 7.5 | Mild | 71% of 13,907 | 8 GB | 40 GB |
| 7 | Genshin Impact | 7.3 | Mild | — | 8 GB | 110 GB |
Our ranking
Ranked by our review scores1. Once Human
8.6/10Best for open-world survival
Starry Studio's survival game, published by NetEase, has run on PC since July 2024 and reached PS5 and Xbox in August 2026 with cross-platform play. Its paid crates hold cosmetics and currency with published odds, so it rates as not pay to win. It needs 100 GB of storage even at the PC minimum.
Pay to win: NoLoot boxes: Yes2. Where Winds Meet
8.2/10Best for a martial-arts open world without character gacha
NetEase's wuxia open-world action RPG is free on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android with cross-progression. The publisher says all gameplay content is free and paid items are cosmetic only, so it rates as not pay to win. On PC it needs 16 GB of RAM and 130 GB of storage.
Pay to win: NoLoot boxes: Yes3. Arknights: Endfield
8.1/10Best for exploration plus factory building
Hypergryph's real-time 3D RPG mixes exploring the planet Talos-II with building automated production lines in the AIC Factory. Operators come from paid gacha pulls with published odds. It needs 16 GB of RAM on PC.
Pay to win: MildLoot boxes: Yes4. Neverness To Everness
8.1/10Best for a supernatural open world in a modern city
Hotta Studio's open-world RPG launched in April 2026 on PC, Mac, PS5, iOS and Android with shared progress. Limited characters come from paid dice-roll boards whose odds are shown only in the game. It asks for 16 GB of RAM and 110 GB of storage.
Pay to win: MildLoot boxes: Yes5. Wuthering Waves
8.1/10Best for an open world on every platform
Kuro Games' open-world action RPG is free on PC, Mac, mobile, PS5 and Xbox with shared progress, and 87% of its 30,827 English Steam reviews are positive. It is the heaviest game here: 16 GB of RAM and 150 GB of storage.
Pay to win: MildLoot boxes: Yes6. Aniimo
7.5/10Best for open-world creature catching
Pawprint Studio's creature-catching open-world RPG launched in September 2026 on PC, consoles and mobile. You catch, raise and Twine with creatures across the continent of Idyll. Paid Companion Handbook tiers include a Perfect Potential Aniimo, and it needs 8 GB of RAM and 40 GB of storage on PC.
Pay to win: MildLoot boxes: Yes7. Genshin Impact
7.3/10Best for HoYoverse's long-running open world
HoYoverse's open-world action RPG has been free since September 2020 on Windows, PS5, Xbox and mobile with cross-progression. Characters come from Wishes with a 0.6% base 5-star rate and a 90-pull guarantee. It needs 110 GB of storage on PC and is not on Steam.
Pay to win: MildLoot boxes: Yes
How we ranked these open-world games
This list holds the free open-world games on PC that we have reviewed: 7 so far. The order follows review scores only, and ties are listed alphabetically. Partner links never change the order.
Open worlds and money
Once Human and Where Winds Meet rate as not pay to win: their publishers sell cosmetics, passes and currency. The others rate as mildly pay to win: Arknights: Endfield, Neverness To Everness, Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact sell characters through paid random pulls, and Aniimo sells paid Companion Handbook tiers that include a Perfect Potential Aniimo.
What PC they need
Once Human, Genshin Impact and Aniimo ask for 8 GB of RAM; Where Winds Meet, Arknights: Endfield, Neverness To Everness and Wuthering Waves ask for 16 GB. Storage runs from 40 GB for Aniimo to 150 GB for Wuthering Waves.
FAQ
What is the best free open-world game on PC?
On our ranking, Once Human, with 8.6 out of 10. Its paid crates hold cosmetics and currency with published odds. The score comes from a research review and can change once we play it.
Which free open-world games run on a mid-range PC?
Once Human, Genshin Impact and Aniimo have the lowest RAM minimum here, 8 GB. Aniimo needs the least storage, 40 GB, while Once Human and Genshin Impact need 100 GB or more.
Are there free open-world games without gacha?
Once Human and Where Winds Meet: in both, official information shows money buying cosmetics, passes and currency rather than characters.